Granit Xhaka again felt the ire of Arsenal supporters on Sunday, after he was blamed for losing the ball which led to Everton taking the lead.

After Jack Wilshere performed so well again, in midweek, it seemed Arsenal fans were already ready to pounce on Xhaka, just for keeping him out of the team. It was up to the Swiss international to keep them from having any ammunition.

Unfortunately, he was dispossessed early on in the first-half, and after Idrissa Gueye took the ball from him and played it to Wayne Rooney, Everton’s summer signing did the rest, whipping a long-range effort past Petr Čech for the opening goal of the game.

It didn’t end up affecting the result of the match, as Arsenal won anyway, but supporters weren’t in a forgiving mood with the Swiss midfielder. They took to Twitter to express their anger.

In my opinion, Xhaka has been way off his best so far this season, but I don’t think he was particularly at fault for the goal on Sunday. When Per Mertesacker gave the ball to the 25-year-old, the midfielder had two players in close proximity closing him down fast.

He took a touch out of his feet away from them both, but Gueye was already at a sprint at that stage, and went in for the tackle. Gueye then caught Xhaka before getting the ball, taking the Swiss midfielder down in the process. Not only was the 25-year-old put under unnecessary pressure by Mertesacker, but arguably he was also fouled before losing the ball.

It’s understandable that many fans see this instance more as indicative of a wider issue than the issue itself, but I personally don’t think Xhaka was given much of a chance in this case. Nonetheless, it is something the Gunners need to look at to try and avoid in the future.